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How to be a Better Team Player

Are you a team player? What about when things aren’t going that great?

Are you an “All In” person that goes “All Out” for the team regardless of what others say, do or think?

There are four steps to becoming the kind of collaborative team player that helps the team enjoy success. It doesn’t just happen. It takes effort.

Here’s what you have to do …

Get the right perception Do you see what the team does as collaboration and not a competition? Do you help others strive for more? Completing one another is far more important than competing against each other. You want to be so good that you irritate the rest of the world with your wins, successes and the life you enjoy.

Attitude has to be right Do you trust your teammates? Do you put faith in them? If you can’t do those two things, it won’t work! Work together not against each other. Show support instead of having wild suspicions. When a teammate messes up, be willing to forgive and move on. If you mess up, own up to it and move on. When an athlete makes a bad play, a lot of times he’ll say, “My bad.” That’s all he needs to say. It’s over. It’s time to make the next play … NOW! If you trust your teammates, you will treat them better and they will cooperate more with you.

Focus on team There is no “I” in team! If you don’t believe the TEAM is greater than “me,” it’s time to get an attitude adjustment. It’s not “me” or “I,” it’s US!!! How can you serve the team? When somebody asks for help, you step up. You are focused on the team.

True progress is like a relay race. You might start the race, but you don’t run the whole thing alone. At some point, you pass the baton to your teammate and you cheer him or her on. If you look at team sports, the fastest way to be successful is by passing the ball, puck, etc. around with your teammates. If you “hog the ball” you can’t score as fast. The defense will smother you! Your teammates will resent you over time.

TEAM > ME or I ALWAYS!!!

Produce the results When the team wins, everybody wins. Everybody is happier. The team shares the victory. It gets multiplied because it’s shared with others. That’s when people start making money while they are making money. Success leads to SUCCESSes!!! The championships come through multiplication of wins. It becomes contagious. The team starts expecting to win every game. Success breeds success. I talk about this when I host rotation meetings and you should too!

Prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Ben Franklin – one of our nation’s founding fathers and the father of invention – said, “Gentleman, we must all hang together or we shall most assuredly all hang separately.”

Franklin knew his TEAM of patriots had to stick together or “hang together” in the fight to break free from the British or they would ultimately lose and be hanged one by one by a rope.

Franklin approached all tasks with a gusto that allowed him to invent things that we still use today. He would ask “What’s hard to do?” Then, he would set out to make things easier. He always wanted to find ways to make life more useful, practical and BETTER! He surrounded himself with people that pushed him to help people, America … the TEAM! Ben Franklin was a team player!

Long, long, long before Ben Franklin, a guy named Paul also knew what it meant to be a team player. In Acts 27:30-44, Paul basically said to call the centurion so people wouldn’t get out of the ship. Paul knew the only way his “team” was going to make it out alive was if the “team” paddled together. Without everybody’s help, they would drown.

How’s that for an “All In” mentality? Paddle together or the ship is going down! Teamwork, dividing up tasks and working together can make all the difference in the world. Doing that leads to multiple successes.

We all have to be in the boat and we all need to paddle. If you ain’t paddling, somebody is going to get a big stick and beat some sense into you and people that don’t understand that. Divide up the task and you can get twice as much done.

It’s a team thing. Holding big events takes teamwork. Host weekly rotations takes teamwork. We are looking for team players.

The quality needed most in this period of growth at National Agents Alliance is collaboration. That’s what it’s going to take to reach the next level.

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13 thoughts on “How to be a Better Team Player”

Very true indeed, thanks for the profound wisdom and encouragement…wishing you much continued success as a team player, or TEAM, an acronym for ” together everyone achieves more.” Have a truly wonder – filled Holiday Season, and all the very best for a very prosperous New Year, 2016!!!

“The quality needed most in this period of growth at National Agents Alliance is collaboration.” This blog entry was awesome, and this wasn’t just a powerful close but a call to action. I’m all in Andy, I’m with you! TEAM!!!

This post is definitely a good reminder of the sacrifice it takes to keep a team moving the right way. It is easy to only focus on our individual achievements & failures instead of looking at these aspects AND seeing how it can impact the team. When that “whatever it takes” mentality kicks in, it’s easy to make those crazy sacrifices for everyones’ good, even when no one realizes what you are doing.

Awesome points. Those who are greatest are those who are more interested in serving – having the servant’s attitude. I appreciate these points because as I have heard it said by you, Stephen, Tim and other leaders here is that I should be competing with myself and striving to emulate those who are where I want to be. Team building is a crazy, awesome process and requires persistence, the right attitude and perception. My goal is to transmit this to all whom I introduce to our awesome opportunity. Building the Alliance means all of us become stronger where we would be weak by ourselves. Thanks!!!!!

Great Post Andy. In my opinion, NAA has its greatest team ever. The rotation meetings have created more unity for the whole NAA team. We also have amazing leaders that are out there serving the greater team everyday. I have one quick story to illustrate my point. Last week I sent a guest (cold market) to the Orlando meeting. I knew that I could not attend so I tried to make contact with someone that could greet her. I was not able to do so. She went to the meeting and called me the next morning all fired up. She told me how amazing Patrick Connors was. He did a great job showing the plan but then went out of his way to introduce himself to my guest and then lent her 2 CDs. That is amazing teamwork. That is The Alliance at work. I am sure there are other people that were at that meeting that contributed in making my guest feel welcome. Thank you Patrick, Andy and The Alliance.

Great post Andy! It is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.